Sport Industry Group

29 Nov 2011

Tove Okunniwa, Managing Director at MEC Access, on the preparations of Olympic sponsors for London 2012.

We’re almost there. Some six years since it was announced that the Olympics were coming back to London, the anticipation is becoming reality. With under a year to go, it’s hard to ignore the hype around what will be the biggest sporting event this country has ever seen.

Whilst official Games partners are well underway activating their rights, there are still opportunities for non-sponsors to leverage the buzz and hype around the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Knowing where to look, what to be aware of and how best to maximise your strategy to avoid becoming a spectator is half the battle.

The UK’s biggest ever sporting event
If the country’s interest is piqued now, just think what it will be like by the time the 30th Olympiad begins on 27 July 2012. Make no mistake, there is phenomenal public enthusiasm for the Games – at least 75% of the population has expressed some sort of interest in them. Having said that, interest does tend to be amongst more affluent audiences and, unsurprisingly, it diminishes the further away people are from London.

Nearly two million people applied for tickets, with only 700,000 of them successful, despite the fact that the majority of sports included within the Olympic programme would be considered minority interest activities in the UK. In fact, only six of the disciplines on view at London 2012 feature either in the top ten spectator or participatory sports in the country. It demonstrates that interest is about more than the individual sports. For instance, women are more attracted by the diversity, quality and human elements that make up the event rather than just the competition.

How we’ll be following it
TV will remain the dominant channel to watch the Olympics but this will be a real challenge for marketers given the ‘clean’ venue policy and BBC as the UK broadcaster. Remember, this isn’t a World Cup – it will be less of a social occasion, so there will be less communal watching in pubs except for key finals where there is British interest or for the blue riband events such as the Men’s 100m final. The live sites spread across the UK will be a focus for communal viewing but are unlikely to attract the type of crowds that an England football match would. Around 80% of those interested people will watch events at home on their own or with their immediate family.

This time around, online and social media will play a far greater role in how we watch the Games, as there is no time zone difference and, of course, penetration levels have increased. The multi-sport nature of the event lends itself perfectly to the online environment and the portable nature of short sequences of content supports the social space. We expect to see more bespoke content for tablet and mobile as well.

How sponsors are celebrating
The Games’ main partners are now deeply embedded within their programmes of activity. Their long-term commitment to and investment in London 2012 has manifested itself in a variety of different directions. Here’s a small selection of examples:

Lloyds Banking Group, through LloydsTSB in England and Wales and Bank of Scotland North of the border is focusing on ‘bringing the Games closer to you’. From the opportunity to be involved in the Olympic Torch Relay through to their Local Heroes, National School Sports Week and Trackside initiatives, they are ideally positioned to engage with customers and deliver real benefit to local communities.

P&G’s Nearest and Dearest campaign ties in with their ongoing Proud Sponsor of Mums activation and focuses on the halo effect around the Games and its athletes.

Cadbury’s association has evolved significantly in the run up to the Games, kicking off with the Spots versus Stripes initiative across all its brands and now focusing on the public’s support of Team GB through music.

Coca-Cola celebrates the Games themselves and wants to give consumers the best experience at the event itself by giving away VIP experiences using owned channels such as on-pack and the Coke Zone.

Docked points
It’s important to be familiar with the rules surrounding partners and the complex area of ambush marketing of the Games. There are now strict laws (not just guidelines) in place to protect all 37 sponsors’ £850m investment in the event.

The IOC defines ambush marketing as, “all intentional and unintentional attempts to create a false association with the Olympic Movement or the Olympic Games.” This could include a non-partner using an image creating a false association with the Games, interfering with a legitimate partner’s Olympic marketing activity or even a legitimate partner activating outside their category.

The London 2012 marks are all legally protected as are expressions and related words surrounding the event, such as ‘Olympic’, ‘Paralympic’, ‘Games’ and '2012’ amongst others. The Olympic Act in the UK goes even further, protecting not just Olympic words or marks but any combinations of Olympic-related words such as ‘medal’ ‘gold’ and even ‘summer’ – anything that might suggest a brand is an official sponsor when it’s not. This legal protection means that marketers themselves risk criminal conviction if their brand appears in any ambush marketing. In addition, members of the public who use their bodies to advertise ambush brands can now be fined up to £20,000.

Such willingness to curtail this activity has been demonstrated recently by the ongoing investigation into Honda’s Power of Dreams viral featuring Olympic hopeful Beth Tweddle, despite the fact that the brand has had a long association with the gymnast.

Chances to get on the podium
Although 2012 may be just around the corner, all is not lost if you’re a non-sponsor and want to join the party. There are a multitude of options available where you could cut through the inevitable brand clutter and gain competitive advantage.

There is ground to be gained in associating with values key to the nation, not just the Games, such as
patriotism, inclusivity and trying something new. Are there endorsement deals to be had with competitors or regional opportunities in cities hosting training camps? Of course, 2012 is not just about the Olympic and Paralympic Games. It sees the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, with a double Bank Holiday and the UEFA European Football Championships, so could you be active at this time?

Next summer is going to be an astonishing celebration for Britain with the eyes of the world on us. The brand challenge is how to tap into this excitement and ride the tide of public goodwill, positive patriotism and power of the community.